Celebrities React: Edward Albee Dead At 88

Truth rating: 10

By Shari Weiss | 9:42 pm, September 16, 2016

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Edward Albee is dead. Celebrities are now paying tribute to the beloved playwright. See stars’ reaction tweets below.

Albee’s death at age 88 was announced on Friday by his assistant. No cause was given. But years before his passing, he asked that this note be released upon his death: “To all of you who have made my being alive so wonderful, so exciting and so full, my thanks and all my love.”

The accomplished writer, pictured in 2011, was a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner. His most revered works include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Three Tall Women and A Delicate Balance. And he had a number of celebrity fans, particularly stars who have worked in theater.

Anna Kendrick tweeted, “Seeing Three Tall Women (WAY too young) made me fall in love w theater. Edward Albee is a legend, genius, treasure. #ZooStory #VirginiaWoolf.” Upon hearing the news, Debra Messing posted, “Oh… We lost a Legend. RIP.” Josh Groban similarly offered, “RIP one of the great masters…” Michael McKean also stated, “There was only one Edward Albee. #Irreplaceable.”

Josh Gad said, “One of the Titans of theater. Amongst the greatest playwrights of our time and possibly all time. RIP #EdwardAlbee.” Jesse Williams shared, “It was a pivotal honor to be directed by and spend time with the literary giant, Edward Albee. Art as analysis. RIP.” Mia Farrow commented, “Edward Albee was one of the great playwrites [sic] of our time. RIP Mr. Albee.” And on Instagram, James Van Der Beek penned a lengthy tribute.

“Edward Albee died today. Legend. 3-time Pultizer prize winning playwright… And I was lucky enough to have been directed by him in my first ever NY play,” the actor wrote. “A true genius. Fiercely economic with words, and equally meticulous about them (he once told an actor they were playing a colon when he was almost positive he’d written a semi-colon), but with good reason — every word, every punctuation mark had a purpose. Mess with it and you f*cked up the rhythm, embrace it and you were wielding a samurai sword at your audience.”

Van Der Beek went on, “He didn’t suffer fools, or people trying to impress him, and his characters could cut each other down with blistering precision (read or watch ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ or ‘Three Tall Women’), but what I’ve remembered about him all these years is his kindness. He told me to trust my instincts (at 16, mind you), gave me the time and space to find my way, and when I was nervous about going in front of critics for the first time, he put a warm hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Relax… You’re among friends.'”

“RIP sir… And from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” he concluded, adding, “#TheZooStory #TheSandbox #WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf #ADelicateBalance #ThreeTallWomen and the one I did with him #FindingTheSun, just to name my favorites…”

Gossip Cop’s thoughts are with Albee’s friends, family, and fans at this difficult time. Sadly, the author’s passing is yet another tragic loss for the entertainment world this year. See other stars we’ve lost during 2016 in the gallery below.

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1.Celebrity Deaths 2016

2.Debbie Reynolds ... died on December 28, one day after daughter Carrie Fisher. She was 84.
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3.Carrie Fisher ... died on December 27. She was 60.
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4.Ricky Harris ... died on December 26. He was 54.
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5.George Michael ... died on Christmas Day, December 25. He was 53.
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6.Franca Sozzani ... died on December 22. She was 66.
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7.Valerie Fairman ... died on December 21. She was 23.
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8.Zsa Zsa Gabor ... died on December 18. She was 99.

9.Craig Sager ... died on December 15. He was 65.
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10.Alan Thicke ... died on December 13. He was 69.
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11.Fidel Castro ... died on November 25. He was 90.
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12.Florence Henderson ... died on November 25. She was 82.
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13.Sharon Jones ... died on November 18. She was 60.
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14.Gwen Ifill ... died on November 14. She was 61.
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15.Robert Vaughn ... died on November 11. He was 83.
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16.Leonard Cohen ... died on November 10. He was 82.
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17.Kevin Meaney ... died on October 21. He was 60.
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18.Shimon Peres ... died on September 28. He was 93.
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19.Arnold Palmer ... died on September 26. He was 87.
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20.Edward Albee ... died on September 16. He was 88. (Getty Images)

21.Alexis Arquette ... died on September 11. She was 47. (Getty Images)

22.Jerry Heller ... died on September 3. He was 75. (Getty Images)

23.Jon Polito ... died on September 2. He was 65. (Getty Images)

24.Gene Wilder ... died on August 29. He was 83.
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25.Garry Marshall ... died on July 19. He was 81. (Getty Images)

26.Nate Thurmond ... died on July 16. He was 74.(Getty Images)

27.Elie Wiesel ... died on July 2. He was 87. (Getty Images)

28.Pat Summitt ... died on June 28. She was 64. (Getty Images)

29.Anton Yelchin ... died on June 19. He was 27.
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30.Christina Grimmie ... was tragically killed on June 11. She was 22. (Getty Images)

31.Muhammad Ali ... died on June 3. He was 74. (Getty Images)

32.Guy Clark ... died on May 17. He was was 74. (Getty Images)

33.Michelle McNamara with husband Patton Oswalt ... the wife of the actor died on April 21. She was 46. (Getty Images)

34.Prince ... died on April 21. He was 57. (Getty Images)

35.Joanie “Chyna” Laurer ... was found dead on April 20. She was 45. (Getty Images)

36.Doris Roberts ... died on April 17. The beloved actress was 90.

37.David Gest ... died on April 12. The ex-husband of Liza Minnelli was 62. (Getty Images)

38.Daisy Lewellyn ... the "Blood, Sweat And Heels” star died on April 8, following a battle with liver cancer. She was 36. (Getty Images)

39.Merle Haggard ... the legendary country music star died on April 6. He was 79. (Getty Images)

40.Amber Rayne ... the adult film star died on April 2. She was 31. (Getty Images)

41.Patty Duke ... the actress died on March 29 of sepsis from a ruptured intestine. She was 69. (Getty Images)

42.Garry Shandling The comedian died from a reported massive heart attack on March 24. He was 66. (Getty Images)

43.Ken Howard The actor and SAG-AFTRA president died on March 23. He was 71. (Getty Images)

44.Joe Garagiola The former baseball player and legendary announcer died on March 23. He was 90. (Getty Images)

45.Phife Dawg The A Tribe Called Quest co-founder died of unknown causes on March 22. He was 45. (Getty Images)

46.Rob Ford The controversial former mayor of Toronto died on March 22 from a rare cancer called pleomorphic liposarcoma. He was 46. (Getty Images)

47.Frank Sinatra, Jr. The son of the iconic singer died from a heart attack on March 16. He was 72. (Getty Images)

48.Larry Drake The "L.A. Law" star died from unknown causes on March 17. He was 66. (Getty Images)

49.George Martin The music producer, often called the “Fifth Beatle” for serving as a key producer for the iconic band, died on March 8. He was 90. (Getty Images)

50.Nancy Reagan The former first lady and wife of late President Ronald Reagan died of congestive heart failure. She as 94. (Getty Images)

51.Bankroll Fresh The rapper, whose real name was Trentavious White, died after being shot. He was 28. (Getty Images)

52.Joey Feek The country singer died following a battle with cancer. She was 40. (Getty Images)

53.George Kennedy The actor, known for the "Naked Gun, died after falling ill. He was 91. (Getty Images)

54.Big Ang The reality star, who appeared on "Mob Wives," died from cancer. She was 55. (Getty Images)

55.Harper Lee The "To Kill a Mockingbird" author died of natural causes. She was 89. (Getty Images)

56.Katie May The model died after suffering a stroke. She was 34. (Getty Images)

57.Maurice White The Earth, Wind & Fire singer died after suffering for more than two decades with Parkinson's Disease. He was 74. (Getty Images)

58.Abe Vigoda The actor died from from natural causes. He was 94. (Getty Images)

59.Glenn Frey The Eagles rocker died from acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. He was 67. (Getty Images)

60.Rene Angelil The husband and manager of Celine Dion, died following a battle with cancer. He was 73. (Getty Images)

61.Alan Rickman The actor, known for the "Harry Potter" series and "Die Hard," lost his battle with cancer. He was 69. (Getty Images)

62.David Bowie The music legend died following a cancer battle. He was 69. (Getty Images)

63.Craig Strickland The Backroad Anthem singer died following a boating accident. He was 29. (Instagram)

64.Natalie Cole The singer died from congestive heart failure. She was 65. (Getty Images)